"My husband is not dead, and yet you have the audacity to bring these flowers!" A woman in her later years thundered at the delivery men, her voice echoing down the hospital corridor where my supposed father lay on his deathbed.

"We were just following orders, ma'am," one of the delivery men defended, while my half-sister tried to hold her mother back, hoping to avoid drawing more attention.

"Take those out of here this instant! Who in their right mind sends such flowers to a person in the hospital?" Her anger was tangible as she berated the delivery men.

"The person who apparently lacks her senses would be me," I declared calmly, striding elegantly toward them. Draped in a black dress that blended funeral attire with a touch of provocative sophistication, I exuded an air of wealth and refinement, captivating their attention with every step.

I stopped in front of them and looked at them coldly.

"I'll be busy in the next few days, so I brought these flowers for dad early. Flowers are meant to enjoy by the living, right?" I raised an eyebrow and waited for their answer. But they didn't say anything, just stared at me. I walked past them to enter the roon and sat down on a nearby couch.

Soon after, they came over. My half-sister rudely threw my bag on the floor. I stayed calm even though they kept staring at me.

"How dare a girl like you act like you are part of this family!" my step-sister said angrily.

"Pleaseeee," I said, feeling disgusted by her trying to put me down.

"I didn't even want to come here," I said, sitting comfortably on the sofa.

At that moment, a man in his early thirties came in, followed by doctors and some medical staff.

He picked up my bag and handed it to me and asked me to keep it close. He then turned to the man lying on the bed.

"We should all be here for father's last moments," he said, sounding sad.

I just glanced at him without much emotion as we gathered around our father's bed. I stood a bit away from his actual family, watching them mourn sadly.

Looking at the man in the bed, he was like a stranger to me. He barely acknowledged me in all these years. Now, seeing him there, kept alive by machines, I didn't feel anger for how he ignored me for over two decades. He only recognized me as his daughter when he thought my presence could benefit him. I didn't feel connected to him.

I stayed quiet as they worked until they finally turned off the machine keeping him alive.

I decided to reply to some messages on my phone first since I feel nothing about losing my supposed to be father.

“I have to go." I informed them after finishing.

My older brother turned his attention to me, though his mother and sister were still grieving.

"Wait. I'll walk you to your car," he offered, sounding like a caring older brother.

"No, you don't have to," I replied coldly. The thought of being near him or breathing the same air felt repulsive. He resembled father TOO MUCH, and the disgust was overwhelming.

I recalled the way he glared at me with pure rage and disgust when my birth mother compelled our father to acknowledge me when I was still a child, settling for a mere monthly child support that she squandered on her vices.

Then, there was that sudden change in behavior when we reunited in college—acting affectionate and caring. He had sworn he wouldn't be like his father, weak to his desires, but it turned out he was no different. It was baffling and repulsive, especially considering I am his half-sister.

I hurried out of the room with a quick tap of my shoes, and my older brother chased after me. When he caught up, he walked beside me, his arm brushing my shoulder. I flinched, good thing it wasn’t a direct contact.

I tried to create some space between us as I walked through the hallways toward the elevator. Luckily, there were other people in it, so I felt relieved that I wouldn't be alone with him.

Without saying a word, we finally reached the basement where my car was parked.

I felt a jolt as he grabbed my wrist just as I was about to get into my car. His touch made me feel queasy, reminding me of how my birth mother's boyfriends used to grab me. I felt sick, but I didn't want him to see, so I put on a brave face.

"Aera, I heard about your mom selling stories to reporters," he said, sounding concerned.

I shook off his hand firmly but stayed composed. "You don't need to worry about anything related to me," I said firmly.

"Our dad's gone, the only variable that makes us related to each other. So, we have no reason to be involved with each other ever again," I declared, getting into my car.

I looked him in the eyes. "Let's not meet again," I said coldly as I closed my car’s door.

He stood there for a moment as I maneuver the car to go for the exit. Suddenly, he blocked my path with his arms wide open, desperate to stop me from driving away and cutting him out of my life completely.

"If there is no longer a reason then let’s make another reason for us to see each other again!" He shouted, trying to prevent me from leaving.

"You son of a-..." I muttered in frustration. I hit the gas pedal, intending to run him over because this guy is really asking for it.

Seeing how serious I was to run him over; he ran to safety.

When I glanced back in the car's side mirror, I saw him holding onto his knees for support, watching my car drive away. I stuck my hand out the window and give him a finger because mere words cannot get into his bird brain.

I managed to leave the building. I drove a bit further before stopping on the sidewalk to throw up. I couldn't shake off the feeling of his grip on my wrist, making me even more queasy.

I searched for something to clean my wrist and hands, but the only thing I found was the leftover coffee in the car's drink holder. I grabbed it and poured it over my wrist and hand. I preferred feeling sticky from the coffee rather than his touch on my skin.

"CEO Kim!" I turned to see who called me. It was Secretary Kang, jumping out of a taxi and hurrying toward me.

She took out wet wipes from her bag and started cleaning my sticky wrist and hands. I usually don't like being touched because it makes me feel sick, but some people don't affect me the same way, and she's one of them.

That's why I kept her close, even though she learns slower than most who work for me.

I glanced at the taxi she came in and realized something. "You didn't forget to pay the taxi again, did you?" I asked, a bit suspicious.

"Maybe I did. I was more concerned about you than paying the fare. Wait here," she said, heading back to the taxi.

When the driver rolled down the window, I saw his face. Our eyes met, but he casually looked away. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen him. He’s a man in his 50’s.

Ignoring the thought, I headed to my car and sat in the back. Secretary Kang joined me a moment later to drive me home.

"Let me check my schedule for the next few days," I requested.

"Here you go." She handed me a tablet showing my upcoming schedule. I started going through it.

RINGGGG

She looked at me in the mirror, asking if she could answer it since I'd be able to hear; I nodded, focused on the tablet.

"Hey, you left work early, right? Join us, we're drowning ourselves in alcohol today. I really need it after the CEO's been giving us hell of a week."

Secretary Kang's eyes widened; she knew what was coming and moved to end the call, but I signaled her to hold on.

"Almost nothing we do meets her standards. That's probably why she's been single forever. The way she looks at me when I hand in my work gives me chills. Brr. I still wonder how you've lasted this long as her secretary when others barely last a year. Anyway, you should come; it's Mr. Jang's treat anyway," she said, ignoring Mr. Jang's voice debating about everyone paying for their drinks.

"And we can have a chance to talk about our boss behind her back. Hahaha," she laughed heartily, finishing her rant.

It hadn't been a great week for me either, and maybe some drinks and the awkward, forced fun at the company dinner with the boss would lighten my mood.

"We'll go. It's on me," I announced with a grin.

"YES! Oh, um, CEO Kim?" She hesitated, her voice trembling.

"Yes." I replied.

***

"I don't want to to bore you with my speech. So eat and drink to your heart's content!"

Applause errupted inside the restaurant accupied by people working for my office.

"…Just make sure to work just as much." I grinned.

And you know what happened next. A company dinner with plenty of alcohol, yet no one dared to get too drunk in front of their boss.

It was fun for me. Not sure if it was for them too.